Martin's Favorite Books

The New View Over Atlantis; Michell, John; The single best introduction to Earth Mysteries, sacred sites, archaeoastronomy, megaliths, Ley lines, terrestrial astrology, and related things. As with all of Michell’s books, it’s wonderfully written.

The Ancient Science of Geomancy; Pennick, Nigel; Along with John Michell’s books, this is a well written and profusely illustrated introduction to Earth Mysteries and power places.

Fingerprints of the Gods; Hancock, Graham; The million-copy best seller, discusses mysterious evidences of lost civilizations preceding the end of last ice age, ancient and catastrophic earth changes, forbidden archaeology, Mayans and Egyptians, archaeoastronomy and more.

The Sun and the Serpent: An Investigation into Earth Energies; Miller, Hamish & Paul Broadhurst; While dealing mainly with the remarkable sacred geography of southern England, this highly readable book weaves together a rich collection of information on Ley lines, ancient peoples and earth mysteries.

The Dance of the Dragon: An Odyssey into Earth Energies and Ancient Religion; Broadhurst, Paul and Hamish Miller. By the same authors who traced the Mary and Michael energy lines across southern England (The Sun and the Serpent), a book about the Apollo/St. Michael alignment of sacred sites from Ireland to Israel.

The Measure of Albion: The Lost Science of Prehistoric Britain; Heath, Robin & John Michell. Astonishing evidence of a vast landscape geometry in the British Isles established by megalithic builders pre-3000 BC.

(World Stompers, A Global Travel Manifesto), (Sacred Places of North America, 108 Destinations), (Sacred Places Around the World, 108 Destinations), (Sacred Places of Europe, 108 Destinations) Four great books by pilgrim and travel writer Brad Olsen. These books give a good basic explanation of pilgrimage in different parts of the world, listings and descriptions of sacred places, and maps showing site locations.

Seeds of Knowledge, Stone of Plenty: Understanding the Lost Technology of the Ancient Megalith-Builders; Burke, John & Kaj Halberg. New scientific findings regarding electromagnetic energies, seismic activity, gravitational and magnetic anomalies measured at megalithic sites in the England, America, Mexico and South America.

Sun, Moon & Stonehenge: Proof of the High Culture in Ancient Britain; Heath, Robin. A fascinating study of the extraordinary mathematical and astronomical knowledge of the megalithic builders of Stonehenge and other ancient sites in England.

Matrix of Creation: Sacred Geometry in the Realm of the Planets; Heath, Richard. Written by the brother of Robin Heath (the expert on megalithic archaeoastronomy and Stonehenge), Matrix of Creation examines how different ancient cultures encoded their precise observational knowledge of the celestial realm within mythology, music, monuments and units of sacred measure.

Civilization One: The World is Not as you Thought it Was; Knight, Christopher & Alan Butler. Building on the insights of Professor Alexander Thom, Civilization One explores ancient standards of measure and time based on megalithic-era observations of celestial cycles.

Sun, Moon & Earth; Heath, Robin. An easy to understand illustrated discussion of the essentials of archaeoastronomy, including material on the solstices and equinoxes, the moon’s rhythms, eclipses, the precessional cycles and the astonishing mathematical sophistication of megalithic era engineers.

Cataclysm: Compelling Evidence of a Cosmic Catastrophe in 9500 BC; Allan, D.S. & J.B. Delair. Fascinating - and sometimes controversial - evidence from various scientific fields including geology, climatology, astronomy, paleontology, mythology, biology and anthropology indicating a less-than-previously-assumed extent of glacier coverage during the last ice age, a different interpretation of such matters as glacial erratics and bone caves, and a cause for the melting of the ice cap that was external to the solar system.

Catastrophobia: The Truth Behind Earth Changes in the Coming Age of Light; Clow, Barbara H. A comprehensive discussion of the myths and scientific material regarding the celestially-caused terrestrial cataclysm of 9500 BC.

Twilight Goddess: Spiritual Feminism and Feminine Spirituality; Cleary, Thomas & Sartaz Aziz. An extremely well written and informative discussion of the various forms of the Goddess in Asian religions.

Uriel’s Machine:The Prehistoric Technology that Survived the Flood; Knight, Christopher and Robert Lomas. A detailed study of the Book of Enoch, the massive comets that have impacted the earth in 7640 BC and 3150 BC, the flood and cataclysm myths found around the world, the origins of Egyptian civilization and megalithic culture, and a fascinating analysis of the function of astronomical observatories such as Stonehenge and Newgrange.

Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition: A Case Study in West Bengal; Morinis, Alan; Focuses on Hindu pilgrimage in northeastern India, but is the best material written on general Indian pilgrimage. An extraordinary interesting book written by a really fine writer.

Sacred Journeys: The Anthropology of Pilgrimage; Morinis, Alan: A collection of essays on various aspects of pilgrimage traditions and sacred sites around the world. Probably the best anthropological study yet produced.

Hamlet's Mill: An Astronomical Interpretation of Ancient Mythologies Around the World; Santillana, Giorgio de and Hertha von Dechend. Offers tantalizing insights regarding the probability of a sophisticated civilization preceding the end of the last ice age.

Secrets of the Great Pyramid and The Magic of Obelisks; Tompkins, Peter; Richly detailed and profusely illustrated books on the antiquities of ancient Egypt.

Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt; West, John Anthony. Based on the decades-long studies of Luxor, Karnak and other Egyptian sites by Schwaller de Lubicz, this important book discusses the myths, symbolism, language, literature, mathematics and sacred monuments of early Egyptian culture in a way that comprehends but also sees well beyond the orthodox archaeological interpretation.

The Secret of the Incas: Myth, Astronomy and the War Against Time; Sullivan, William ; A scholarly work dense with Andean mythology but essential reading for anyone interested in really understanding the Inca. Filled with groundbreaking insights that will revolutionize historical analysis of both the Inca and other pre-Columbian civilizations.

The Bible Fraud; The Secret in the Bible; The Crucifixion of Truth; Bushby, Tony. Three extremely important books regarding the true identity of Jesus, his non-virgin birth, the existence of his twin brother, the historical inaccuracies of the crucifixion, and the many duplicities of the early and medieval Catholic Church. Filled with extensive scholarly and textual references, and essential reading for anyone interested in the true story of Jesus.

Earth Under Fire: Humanity’s Survival of the Ice Age; LaViolette, Paul A. Presents a scholarly study of ancient myths and recent scientific findings in astronomy, geology, paleoclimatology and archaeology to reconstruct details of prehistoric global disasters and the ice age.

A Little Book of Coincidences; Martineau, John. An important, and concise, discussion of the mathematical and geometrical mysteries of the solar system. A fine companion book with Matrix of Creation, by Richard Heath.

Thunderbolts of the Gods: A Radical Reinterpretation of Human History and the Evolution of the Solar System; Talbott, David & Wallace Thornhill. A richly illustrated book which shows the connection between various prehistoric rock art forms found around the world (such as thunderbolts, pitchforks and dragons) with different plasma discharge instabilities scientifically observed in both laboratory settings and galactic space. The ancient rock art makers recorded vast electrical events in the sky, some of great beauty, others of terrifying violence. A fascinating blending of myth and science.

Lost Star of Myth and Time; Cruttenden, Walter. A detailed and revolutionary explanation of the myths and science of the Precession of the Equinoxes, indicating that this phenomenon is caused by the presence of a companion star to our Sun. Much important information on archaeoastronomy.

The Orion Zone: Ancient Star Cities of the American Southwest; David, Gary A. Extensive research regarding the astronomical reasons determining the specific locations of numerous Anasazi, Pueblo and Hopi settlement and sacred sites.

The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ; Picknett, Lynn & Clive Prince. Along with their book The Sion Revelation: The Truth About the Guardians of Christ’s Sacred Bloodline, Picknett and Prince present many surprising details about the history of early and medieval Christianity.

The Songlines; Chatwin, Bruce. A personal narrative and anthropological study of the pilgrimage practices and sacred geography of the Australian aboriginals.

Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings; Hapgood, Charles H. A groundbreaking scholarly book concerning the numerous maps of the 14th & 15th centuries (Piri Reis, Hadji Ahmed, Oronteus Finaeus, each copied from even earlier and now lost maps) which accurately depict global typography, including the Americas before the time of Columbus and an ice-free Antarctica, and indicate an advanced knowledge of the spherical planet long before the civilizations of ancient Greece, Egypt and Babylonia.

Eden in the East: The Drowned Continent of Southeast Asia; Oppenheimer, Stephen. A richly detailed discussion, based on oceanography, archaeology, linguistics, genetics and folklore, indicating that a great post-ice age sea level rise drowned the huge continental shelf of Southeast Asia and thereby caused a population dispersal which fertilized the Neolithic cultures of China, India, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean.

The Atlantis Encyclopedia; Joseph, Frank. One of several books by a renowned scholar of Atlantis, Lemuria and many other mysterious civilizations, the Atlantis Encyclopedia is an essential source book for any student of prehistoric culture.

The Atlantis Blueprint: Unlocking the Ancient Mysteries of a Long-Lost Civilization; Wilson, Colin and Rand Flem-Ath. A brilliant analysis of current research regarding crustal displacement, shifting poles, ancient cometary impacts, Atlantis myths, and a pre-flood civilization that accurately measured the entire planet.

Seven Sacred Rivers; Aitken, Bill; The author’s account of his multi-year travels to India’s sacred rivers. Along with the books by Alan Morinis and Diana Eck - listed below - this is a great introduction to pilgrimage in the Hindu tradition.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North; Basho, Matsuo; An account of a long walking-pilgrimage in northern Japan by one of Japan’s greatest poets.

Sacred Mountains of the World; Bernbaum, Edwin; Absolutely the best book on sacred mountains around the world, and beautifully photographed too.

Hindu Places of Pilgrimage in India: A Study in Cultural Geography; Bhardwaj, Surinder; Written primarily for the cultural geographer and social anthropologist but a “must read” for anyone interested in the study of pilgrimage in India.

The Stars and the Stones: Ancient Art and Astronomy in Ireland; Brennan, Martin; Weaving an enchanting story of the blending of art, science, and religion in ancient Ireland, this book explores the mysteries of the great passage mounds of Neolithic Ireland; Newgrange, Knowth and others.

Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah; Burton, Richard G.; Published in 1893, an engagingly written account of the author’s clandestine journey to the forbidden city of Mecca.

Tibet Handbook: A Pilgrimage Guide; Chan, Victor; Published by the excellent Moon Publications, this is both the best travel guide to the country and the most comprehensive listing of pre-Buddhist and Buddhist sacred sites in Tibet.

Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions; Coleman, Simon and John Elsner; Written for the non-specialist, this is one of the best general introductions to the field of pilgrimage studies.

Pilgrimage in Latin America; Crumrine, N.Ross and Alan Morinis; A scholarly but highly readable selection of essays on a variety of pre-Colombian, Colonial, and contemporary pilgrimage traditions in South America.

Banaras: City of Light; Eck, Diana L; While dealing specifically with the holy city of Benares, this scholarly but accessible book opens a clear window onto why, where, and how Hindus go on religious pilgrimages.

Sacred Places: Temple, Palace, 'Center of the World'; Eliade, Mircea; A short essay on sacred sites and their symbolic significance by one of the world’s greatest of anthropological thinkers.

Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path; Freidel, David and Linda Schele and Joy Parker; and A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya; Schele, Linda and David Freidel; So much of what is written about the Maya lacks any understanding of the spiritual and scientific concerns of the people. These books, though written by academic scholars, offer insights into little known facets of Maya civilization such as their concerns with sacred geography, astronomy, and myth.

Flying Mountains and Walkers of Emptiness: Toward a Definition of Sacred Space in Japanese Religions; Grapard, Allan G.; An excellent introduction to the origins, places, and purposes of the pilgrimage traditions in Japan.

The Sign and the Seal; Hancock, Graham; The author’s search for the lost Ark of the Covenant; combines richly researched history with exciting investigative journalism.

The Great Pilgrimage of the Middle Ages: The Road to Compostela; Hell, Vera and Hellmut; Santiago de Compostela in Northwestern Spain was the most visited pilgrimage shrine in medieval Europe. While focusing primarily on Compostela, this book offers a good introduction to the institution of Medieval Christian pilgrimage.

Pilgrims and Sacred Sites in China; Naquin, Susan and Chun-fang Yu; The best series of writings yet assembled on pilgrimage and sacred sites in ancient and contemporary China.

Christian Pilgrimage in Modern Western Europe; Nolan, Mary L.; Besides giving the names and locations of hundreds of Christian pilgrimage shrines around Europe, this book presents a richly detailed analysis of the types of shrines, the founding legends, and the distinct phases of pilgrimage practices in early, medieval and contemporary Europe.

Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits; Porter, Bill; While reporting mostly on the author’s meetings with mountain hermits in both Buddhist and Taoist traditions, this delightful book has good material on the ancient practice of mountain pilgrimage in China.

Pilgrimage in Popular Culture; Reader, Ian and Tony Walter (eds.) A basic but wide ranging introduction to pilgrimage practices and places of the world. .Sacred Geography of the Ancient Greeks: Astrological Symbolism in Art, Architecture and Landscape; Richer, Jean; Groundbreaking information on the geomantic concerns of the ancient Greeks; a scholarly work but recommended reading for anyone interested in Greece, sacred geometry and terrestrial astrology.

Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: A Bibliographic Guide; Roberts, Thomas B. & Paula Jo Hruby; Features excerpts from 288 books on the ancient and continuing religious use of psychoactive plants around the world. An important compendium of somewhat forbidden information.

The Earth, The Temple and The Gods: Greek Sacred Architecture; Scully, Vincent; Along with Richer’s book mentioned above, an important source on the sacred geometry and celestial orientations of archaic Greek temples.

A Guide to the Megaliths of Europe and The Standing Stones of Europe; Service, Alistair and Jean Bradbury; Probably the best guides for finding remote and seldom visited megalithic sites in Europe. Both books have good introductory material and photographs of hundreds of sites.

The Spirit and Power of Place; Singh, Rana; While focusing mostly upon the pilgrimage practices and sacred places of India, this fine collection of essays is filled with insightful writing on many aspects of general pilgrimage studies and sacred geography.

The Sacred Mountain; Snelling, John; The most comprehensive source of information on Mt. Kailash in Tibet; includes a large collection of rare photographs and helpful hints on traveling to this remote mountain.

Japanese Pilgrimage; Statler, Oliver; This book is one of the most beautifully written accounts of a pilgrimage that I have ever read.

Pilgrimage: An Image of Medieval Religion; Sumption, Jonathen; A detailed history of the Age of Medieval European Pilgrimage; scholarly but readable for the non-specialist.

Secrets of the Mexican Pyramids; Tompkins, Peter; Similar to his books on Egypt, Tompkins presents an extraordinary collection of facts, ideas, and illustrations of mesoamerican temples and pyramids.

One Thousand Roads to Mecca: Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing about the Muslim Pilgrimage; Wolfe, Michael; A fascinating anthology of writings that allow the reader to travel vicariously to a pilgrimage shrine forbidden to persons not of the Muslim faith.

The Secret of the Incas: Myth, Astronomy and the War Against Time; William Sullivan. Essential reading regarding the Inca, its insights have revolutionized historical understanding of the Inca and other pre-Columbian civilizations.

Pilgrimage in Latin America; N. Ross Crumrine & Alan Morinis. A selection of essays on a variety of pre-Colombian, Colonial-era and contemporary pilgrimage traditions in South America.

Secrets of the Mexican Pyramids; Peter Tompkins. Similar to his books on Egypt, Tompkins presents a wonderful collection of facts, ideas and illustrations concerning Mesoamerican temples and pyramids.

Uriel’s Machine:The Prehistoric Technology that Survived the Flood; Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas. A detailed study of the Book of Enoch, the massive comets which impacted the earth in 7640 BC and 3150 BC, the flood and cataclysm myths found around the world, the origins of megalithic and Egyptian cultures, and a fascinating analysis of the function of astronomical observatories such as Stonehenge and Newgrange.

Hamlet's Mill; Giorgio de Santillana & Hertha von Dechend. The single most important book yet written on the fascinating connection between ancient myths and celestial observations. Investigates the origins of human knowledge and its transmission through mythology.

Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings; Charles Hapgood. With numerous illustrations of ancient maps, Hapgood presents concrete evidence of an advanced civilization which existed many thousands of years before dynastic Egypt and which mapped vast regions of the planet.

Secrets of the Great Pyramid and The Magic of Obelisks; Peter Tompkins. Richly detailed and profusely illustrated books on the antiquities of ancient Egypt.

Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt; John Anthony West. Examines the research of R.A.Schwaller de Lubicz regarding the extraordinary mathematical and astronomical sophistication of early Egypt and its mysterious pre-dynastic source.

The Stars and the Stones: Ancient Art and Astronomy in Ireland; Martin Brennan. Blending art, science and religion of ancient Ireland, this book explores the mysteries of the great passage mounds of Neolithic Ireland; Newgrange, Knowth and Lough Crew.

Sun, Moon & Stonehenge: Proof of the High Culture in Ancient Britain; Robin Heath. A clearly written and well illustrated explanation of the astronomical, mathematical and engineering wisdom that went into the construction of Stonehenge.

The Measure of Albion: The Lost Science of Prehistoric Britain; Robin Heath & John Michell. Written by two leading scholars in the fields of Megalithic studies and sacred geography of ancient England.

Pilgrimage: An Image of Medieval Religion; Jonathen Sumption. A detailed history of the Age of Medieval European Pilgrimage; scholarly but readable for the non-specialist.

Sacred Journeys: The Anthropology of Pilgrimage; Alan Morinis. A collection of essays on various aspects of pilgrimage traditions and sacred sites around the world. Probably the best anthropological study yet produced.

Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions; Simon Coleman & John Elsner. Written for the non-specialist, this is one of the best general introductions to the field of pilgrimage studies.

Sacred Mountains of the World; Edwin Bernbaum. A wonderfully illustrated and fascinating book on sacred mountains around the world.Exploring Lost Hawaii, Places of Power, History, Mystery & Magic; Ellie & William Crowe

The Megalithic European, The 21st Century Traveler in Prehistoric Europe; Julian Cope; Absolutely the finest and most comprehensive compendium of megalithic sites in all of Europe. Fully illustrated in color with site descriptions, maps and directions to all of the sites.

Sacred Places of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Peaceful and Powerful Destinations; Keith Bellows (editor). A large National Geographic photography book of sacred sites and pilgrimage places.